Cemetery vase structure



Nova 1949 H. MElI IRJOHAN ETAL 2,488,924

CEMETERY VASE STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 12, 1947 val/1 1114 l /9 E I I /4 235:E 5 24 1a INVENTORS. HERMAN MEIERdOHAN v ERNEST WENGLEF? y :E- 19 4Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES ENT CEMETERY VASE STRUCTURE HermanMeierjohan and Ernest Wengler, Cincinnati, Ohio Application December 12,194-7, Serial Nb. 791,196-

4 Claims. 1 This invention relates to a cemetery vase structure. Anobject of the invention is to provide an improved construction embodyingunusual simplicity of manufacture and assembly, with sub-,.

stantial savings of time and labor, resulting in reduced cost to thepurchaser.

Another object is to provide a cemetery vase so constructed as tofacilitate placement in the earth, and which effectively resists anytendency to sinking or upheaval under adverse ground or weatherconditions.

Another object is to provide means in an 1mproved cemetery vase,overcoming any tendency. to displacement when subjected to the weightand jarring effects of lawn mowers and similar gravemaintenanceequipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cemeteryvase construction permits ting various dispositions of the flower holderor cup, without the use of complicated or delicate means of support thatmay be readily subjectto injury or destruction.

Another object is to provide a device of the character stated, which isbuilt to withstand severe use and abuse over an extended period of time.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the meansdescribedherein, and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in crosssection, showing thedevice with the flower holder or cup in the elevated position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the cup or holder in alowered or concealed use position.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the flower holder or cup.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental perspective view showingv the device in theclosed or inoperative position. Fig. 5 is a fragmental cross-sectionalview taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

- The cemetery vase structure herein disclosed,

is of the type in which the flower holder or cup.

may be adjusted to various positions. In one position the cup may extendabove ground level as illustrated by Fig. l, or alternatively, it may besubmerged or lowered to the position of Fig. 2,

which is an operative position below ground level.

A third position is illustrated by Fig. 4, wherein. the flower holder orcup is inverted so as to present a substantially flush relationship toground level, when the device is not in use.

. Prior to the present invention, cemetery vases of the generalcharactenreferred. toabove were complex in, construction,andihereforeexpensive; to the extent that they were notavailable with-.- in themeans of the ordinary, purchaser. The; improveddevice is so constructed,however, that. it may. be produced in a production: line manneig; withthe use of simple andinexpensive patterns. and castings, andequallysimple machinery As: a result, the improved cemetery.vasestructure having the desirable featuresheretoforemem tioned, may bereducedin'cost soI astomemove it; from the-class of luxury items: v

As-will be explained hereinafter, the devicamay; beearth-supported: as,shown inethe drawings, or; in an alternative formitmayreceive supportfromz a plate or. plaque restingupon-thesurface oi: the} earth.

Referring to theaccompanyingidrawing, lindi cates the flower; holder;or, cuixfwhicniby prefene ence; is: conical. inform, and-gwhich includesa cast or pressed metal. base-,-8 suitably; secured; .to, the bottom ofthe cup. The;cup;-may have an; upper beador rim 9, if; desired.The-center per-.1 tion:of the base 8, indicated at ing-may form the.bottom of the holder or. cup; and-.issecuredto the. latter, in;leakeproof. relationship.-; For this. purpose, the upper face of' the.base ,8 may be: fur-r nished with an annular groove: 1 2. intowhich thelower. edge l 3 of the cup.- bodye may. be spun, orotherwisesecured,witlror.-- without the .usewof: solder, cement or-other binding agent.As indi cated :on the bottom view .ofiiFig. 3;the cup base may include apluralityof radiallyextendinglock ing lugs M which are equally spacedapart uponv the periphery of the base. These-lugs are coplanar and Willpreferably'be-ot identical shapeand' dimensions. The function-of thelugs will be explained in duecourse.- The character Iii-inclicates ahandle or-iingergrip" element located wholly within the-convexity Ii ofthe cupb'ase'e' By means of finger gripelement I iyt-he flowerholderorcup may be lifted from the-protective outer casing, as will plainly beevident-byreferring to Fig. 4 of the drawings.

At I1 is shown a substantially cylindrical protective casing adaptedtoibe-buried in the earth,

said casing having anupper-marginal portion 18;

thecupbase- 8, so that the-cup-may be lowered througn-the ring" and intothe protective outer casing in the manner of Fig.2. In order to providefor a solid connection between the flange ring and the upper margin ofthe casing ll, the ring may be provided with a depending annular wall 22to be pressed or otherwise inserted into the upper open end of thecasing.

To provide support of the cup base in either of the positionsillustrated by Figs. 1 and 4, the flange ring is provided with a seriesof coplanar lug seats 23, equal in number to the lugs 14 furnished uponthe cup base. The seats 23 are equally spaced apart within the flangering, and they project inwardly toward the center of the ring a distancesufficient to support the cup base in the Fig. 1 position, for example,while the lugs It rest flatly upon the lug seats. The seats 23preferably are cast integrally with the flange ring. and each includes awall or stop 24 located at corresponding ends of the several seats. Atopposite corresponding ends of the seats, the seats terminate each in afree end 25, which may be passed by the lugs of the cup base when thecup is to be disposed to the concealed operative position of Fig. 2. Itwill be found necessary to slightly cook the cup relative to thevertical axis of the casing, in order to pass the lugs I4 through thespace existing at 26, between the free end 25 of the lug seat and thedepending lip 21 formed upon the lower face of the flange ring. A lipsuch as 21 is furnished near the free end of each lug seat, and each lipdepends approximately to the plane of its associated seat, so as tolimit rotary movement of the cup base axially in one direction, therebypreventingdropping of the lugs it through the space 26 as long as thelugs remain in flatwise contact upon the lug seats. It is necessary,therefore, that the space 26 between the seat end 25 and the adjacentdepending lip 21, be less than the length of a lug M of the cup base.The space 26, however, will be greater than the thickness of any lug i4,so that upon tilting the cup base relative to the vertical axis ofcasing 11, and then rotating the cup and its base, the lugs It may passthrough the space 26 for disposition of the cup and its base within theconfines of the protective outer casing l1.

As indicated upon which may be referred to also as depending stopsspaced from the free ends of the seats 23, may be rounded or relieved,in order to facilitate passage of the cup base lugs to the interior ofthe protective casing. The relationship of each de pending lip or stop21 to its adjacent lug seat 23 and free end 25, is the same at each ofthe several seat locations about the interior of the flange ring 2|. Aswill be evident by referring to Fig. 2 the rivets or other fasteners 20may be anchored in the metal adjacent to the stop areas 24 of the lugseats. In order to save metal and reduce the weight of the assembly, themetal of the ring may be removed to a considerable extent at the face28, between each rivet anchorage portion 43 and the depending lip 21 ofthe next adjacent lug seat assembly;

As may be observed by referring to Fig. 2, the seats of the flange ringdo not support the flower holder or cup structure when disposed to theconcealed position of usage within the protective casing l1; however, inthe extended use position of Fig. 1 and in the inverted inoperativeposition o f -Fig. 4, the flower holder or cup requires the support ofthe several lug seats 23. By referring to Fig. 4, and the bottom view ofFig. 5, it will be noted that the depending lip or stop 2|,is overhungby a flange 23 formed integrally with the Fig. 2, the depending lips 21,

ring 2|, so that by rotating the cup base lugs toward the stops 21, thelugs will be locked to prevent upward withdrawal of the cup and itsbase, from their respective seats 23. The locking flange 29 in eachinstance is integral with the ring 2|, and by preference does notoverhang the free edge 25 of the adjacent lug seat. This relationship ofelements is clearly illustrated upon Fig. 5. It is accordingly apparentthat the cup base may be locked to the flange ring in either of thepositions illustrated by Figs. 1 and 4 by simply par tially rotating thecup until the lugs of its base rest partly beneath the locking flanges29. The extent to which the lugs may be advanced beneath the lockingflanges is limited by the depending lips 21, so that the base lugs maynot normally fall through the spaces 26, except upon tilting of the cupbase as previously explained. To unlock the cup base from the flangering, it is necessary only to rotate the base in the opposite directionuntil the base lugs 14 strike the abutments 24, whereupon the lugs maybe lifted bodily from their respective seats. In this connection it Willbe noted that the distance from 24 to 29 as shown upon Fig. 4 isslightly greater in extent than the length of any base lug l4.

If desired a chain or other flexible retaining member 30 may be providedfor the purpose of discouraging theft of the flower holder or cup. Thechain may connect the cup base to any stationary part of the casing H,such as the rivet or stud 36. The endmost link 32 of the chain mayengage a strut or anchor 33 of the base, which may be formed in anysuitable manner thereon,

as by providing an opening 34 and a notch 35 in the material of the baseadjacent to the periphery thereof. The anchorage means for the ends ofthe chain may be formed in other ways, as will be understood.

With reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen desirable to provide a stopupon which the base of the flower holder may rest when disposed in theoperative or use position within the confines of the protective casing.This stop may be in the form of a metallic rod or bar 36 spanning thecasing upon a diameter, at the location near the lower edge of thecasing. A simple construction is illustrated, wherein the ends 31 of thestop bar are turned at an angle to rest against the sides of the casingexteriorly thereof, where the rod or bar projects through openings 38provided in the casing.

It will be noted that the lower marginal portion 19 of the protectivecasing is flared outwardly and downwardly. Accordingly, when the casingis projected downwardly into the earth the flared portion presents adegree of resistance to downward projection of the casing, so that afterthe casing has been set finally into the earth, a substantial resistanceto future lowering of the casing will be set up, this being a feature ofadvantage in that the device as a whole will resist the depressingaction of the weight of lawnmowers and other cemetery maintenanceequipment rolled over the flange ring when the cup is in lowered orconcealed positions. As a means of reinforcing the casing and the flaredportion 45 against distortion, the casing may be furnished with anannular bead or ridge 39 located preferably in close proximity to theflare 40.

Although as illustrated upon the drawings, the stop rod or bar 36 issupported where the head 39 meets the flare, it will be understood thatsaid stop rod or bar might in some instances penetrate the casing atlocations above the annular bead. The flange ring resting upon thesurface of the earth, as shown, lends a degree of support to the device,opposing undesirable sinking of the casing beneath its desired level.

In some installations of the device, it may be considered desirable toprovide a plate or plaque to rest upon the surface of the earth, andprovided with an opening of sufficient size to receive the casing, withthe flange ring serving to marginally support the entire structure uponthe plate or plaque. For this reason, it is desirable to have the upperflange ring formed with an overall diameter larger than any opening ofthe casing. Plaques or plates of the kind mentioned may sometimes beprovided with a series of openings to accommodate a plurality of vasestructures, and such arrangements are contemplated within the scope ofthe present disclosure. As an alternative to the aforesaid plaquearrangement, the elements of the flange ring may be cast integrally withthe plaque for supporting the flower cup in the various positionsstated, thereby to eliminate the flange ring as an element of thecombination.

All parts of the device are constructed preferably of non-ferrous metal,for example copper, brass, bronze or other alloys, to resist thedeteriorating effects of the weather and ground chemicals. Wheneverdesired the base of the flower holder or cup may be furnished with aname plate or other identifying element 4|, riveted, screwed orotherwise attached to the base at a proper location for clearvisibility.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in thestructural details of the device may be made within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cemetery vase structure comprising in combination, a flower cupincluding a base, a plurality of extending spaced lugs on the base, anda support including an opening larger in diameter than the cup, a seriesof seats on the support equal in number to the number of base lugs andupon which said lugs rest in supporting the cup, said seats beingcoplanar and projecting inwardly of the opening, a free end on eachseat, and an opposite end, the latter including an abutment elevatedabove the seat, depending lips on the support each spaced from a freeend of a seat a distance greater than the thickness of any base lug, anda locking flange overhanging each depending lip, the distance betweeneach locking flange and an adjacent seat abutment being greater than thelength of any base lug.

1. A cemetery vase structure comprising in combination, a flower cupincluding a base, a plurality of extending spaced lugs on the base, anda support including an opening larger in diameter than the cup, a seriesof seats on the support equal in number to the number of base lugs andupon which said lugs rest in supporting the cup, said seats beingcoplanar and projecting inwardly of the opening, a free end on eachseat, and an opposite end, the latter including an abutment elevatedabove the seat, depending lips on the support each spaced from a freeend of a seat a distance greater than the thickness of any base lug, anda locking flange overhanging each depending lip, the distance betweeneach locking flange and an adjacent seat abutment being greater than thelength of any base lug, and the distance from each said depending lip tothe adjacent seat being less than the length of any base lug.

3. A cemetery vase structure comprising in combination, a flower cupincluding a base, a plurality of extending spaced lugs on the base, anda support including an opening larger in diameter than the cup, a seriesof seats on the support equal in number to the number of base lugs andupon which said lugs rest in supporting the cup, said seats beingcoplanar and projecting inwardly of the opening, a free end on eachseat, and opposite end, the latter including an abutment elevated abovethe seat, depending lips on the support each spaced from a free end of aseat a distance greater than the thickness of any base lug, and alocking flange overhanging each depending lip, the distance between eachlocking flange and an adjacent seat abutment being greater than thelength of any base lug, and the distance from each said depending lip tothe adjacent seat being less than the length of any base lug, with theseat free of any overlap relative to the locking flange.

4. A cemetery vase structure comprising in combination, a flower cupincluding a base, a plurality of extending spaced lugs on the base, anda support including an opening larger in diameter than the cup, a seriesof seats on the support equal in number to the number of base lugs andupon which said lugs rest in supporting the cup, said seats beingcoplanar and projecting inwardly of the opening, a free end on eachseat, and an opposite end, the latter including an abutment elevatedabove the seat, depending lips on .the support each spaced from a freeend of a seat a distance greater than the thickness of any base lug, anda locking flange overhanging each depending lip, the distance betweeneach locking flange and an adjacent seat abutment being greater than thelength of any base lug, and the distance from each .said depending lipto the adjacent seat being less than the length of any base lug, withthe seat free of any overlap relative to the locking flange, and acasing depending from the support, including means to support the baseof the cup when the cup is lowered into the r casing with the baseforemost.

HERMAN MEIERJOHAN. ERNEST WEN GLER REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,995,771 Grueneberg Mar. 26,1935 2,029,314 Ellis Feb. 4, 1936 2,062,684 Thomas Dec. 1, 19362,099,329 Comstock et a1 Nov. 16, 1937 Certificate of Correcticn PatentNo. 2,488,924 November 22, 1949 HERMAN MEIERJOHAN ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 5, line 58, for the claim number and period 1. read 2.; and thatthe said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of April, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

